Creating Pad Footings

QUESTION

Pad footings are not visible in my drawing after I build my deck framing. What process must I use to get the pad footings to appear under my deck?

ANSWER

Creating deck framing with pad footings is an order-specific procedure.

The first step in the procedure must be to add a terrain perimeter. Once a terrain perimeter has been added, you can draw a first floor with a deck. Then, add a foundation. Lastly, you can add the deck framing. If the terrain perimeter is not created first, Home Designer Pro will not know where to place the pad footings in relation to the deck framing, and no pad footings will generate with your deck framing.

To create the deck

Starting with a new plan, from the menu select Terrain> Create Terrain Perimeter.

Note: If the option for Create Terrain Perimeter is grayed out, then you already have a terrain perimeter in the drawing. If this is the case, you can skip this step.

Once the terrain perimeter has been created, you can draw a first floor, and draw a deck. For the purposes of this tutorial you will want to select, from the menu, Build> Wall> Exterior Wall and then draw four walls in a clockwise fashion to make a completely enclosed room.

Once you have completed a completely enclosed square room; from the menu, select Build> Railing and Deck> Straight Deck Railing. Draw a completely enclosed deck off of the square house.

in prior versions this tool was found under Build> Wall> Deck Railing.

To create the foundation

From the menu select Build> Floor> Build Foundation to open the Foundation Defaults dialog.

Click the OK button to accept the foundation defaults.

To Build Advanced Deck Framing

Return to the first floor by clicking Up one Floor, then, click on the Select Objects arrow tool.

Next, click one time in the middle of the deck.

After the deck is selected, a Build Advanced Deck Framing edit tool will display. Click this tool once to generate the deck framing with pad footings.

To create a 3D view of your deck

From the menu, select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Overview. A Full Overview of your structure will display.

By selecting 3D> Move Camera with Mouse> Mouse-Orbit Camera , you can click and move your mouse to rotate this 3D view around and see the pad footings as they appear below your terrain.